Car-coupling.



S. F. KLOHS.

CAR COUPLING.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 21. 1915.

1,142,104. Patented June 8, 1915.

5 SHEETS SHEET l.

S. F. KLOHS CAR COUPLING.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 27, 1915.

1,142,104.. Patented June 8,1915.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 2- ,0 E W I H l I! I r: h g I @f I HE NORRIS PETERS 60.. FHOTO-LITHO. WASHINGTON. By C S. F. KLOHS.

CAR COUPLING.

APPLICATION FILED JAN- 27. I915.

Patented June 8, 1915.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

MHIHIL QE QWW 0.. PH 0. WASHINGTON, uf'c."

S. F. KLOHS.

CAR COUPLING.

APlfLICATION FILED 1AN.27. 1915.

1,142,104; Patented June 8,1915.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

THE NORRIS PETERS C0,. FHGm-LITHQ. WASHINGTON, D. C

S. F. KLOHS.

CAR COUPLING.

APPLICATION man JAN. 27. 1915.

Patnted June 8,1915.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 5- FFEQ.

SAMUEL F. :KLOHS, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

cen-courmrie.

manner.

To all whom it may concern 1 Be it known thatI, SAMUEL F. KLorrs, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Car-Couplers; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which' it appertains to make and use the same. This invention relates to "car couplers of the vertical plane type and its principal object is to provide means whereby the spacewithin the contour lines of the couplerbetween the head and knuckle may be elfec tively increased when the coupler is in use, to thereby afford a greater-clearance for the knuckle of the adjacent coupler than now exists in couplers having standard Car Builders contour lines.

Further important objects of my invention are to so construct the coupler thatit may be coupled without dil'liculty with a coupler having standard contour linesrand to provide means for effecting an. inward rotation of the outer end of the knuckle while the latter is maintained in coupled relation, thereby not only compensating for wear at the outer end of knuckles, but also operating to make the coupled knuckles cling close together and effectually maintain their engagement when subjected to pulling strains, as will later appear herein.

Owing to the comparatively small clearance allowed between the engaging parts of interlocked couplers having contour lines conforming to the present Master Car Builders standard, the couplers upon adjacent cars are liable to bind upon'each other when the cars are moving backwardly over uneven or vertically curved track that causes the abutting ends of the cars to 'Inove'vertically in opposite directions. Such a binding of the couplers causes the end of one car to carry the weight of the end of theopposite car, and this frequently results in the breaking of carrier irons and the rupture of the connections of the coupler with its car. By my construction any such binding of the Master couplers is relieved and prevented bypermitting the knuckles to yield as occasion requires, thus increasing the clearances, the means employed to effect this purpose being also effective to prevent severe strains from being imparted to the knuckle and to the 4 Specification of Letters Patent. Y Application'filed January 27, 1915. Serial No. 4,660.

Patented June 8,1915.

lugs of'the head to which the knuckle is connected when the, train is being started or is being drawn along.

Figure 1 is a horizontal sectional view of a car coupler constructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1, showing the positions .of the parts when subjected to a pulling strain and also showing, in dotted lines, the position ofthe coupler connected thereto. Fig. 3 is a View of the coupler showing the knuckle open, the view being partly in horizontal section.

a is a vertical sectional view showingthe knuckle closed. Fig. 5 is a front view of the coupler showing the parts in coupled position, the knuckle and a portion of, the coupler head being in transverse section. Fig. 6 is a front view of the coupler showing the parts in lock-set position, the knuckle and part of the coupler head being in transverse section. Fig. 7 is a front view ofthe coupler showingthe knuckle thrown open by the knuckle opening lever, the knuckle and a portion of the coupler head being in transverse section. Fig. 8 is an enlarged View of the knuckle lockand its lifting devices, the

lock and the upper lifting member being in vertical section Fig. 9 is a horizontal section on the line99 of Fig. 8;. Fig. 10 is a plan view of a slide for connecting the tail of the-knuckle to a spring. Fig. 11 is a front elevation of the part shown in Fig. 10. Fig. 12 is a perspective view of the knuckle lock. Fig. 13 is a view showing twocouplers of standard contour coupled together, the nature of the wear on the knuckles being shown in dotted lines at a, a. Fig. 14 is a horizontal section of a modified form ofthe invention. Fig. 15 is a horizontal section of the coupler'shown in Fig. 1 1, the knuckle being in its forward position.

The knuckle 1 is pivoted to the coupler head 2, so as to be capable not only of arotary movement but also ofasliding move ment inwardly and outwardly with respect to the head. In order to permit this the a means for permitting'the spring devices to retain control of the knuckle in all posi- Theside wall ofthe coupler head is provided with an elongated tions of the latter;

aperture 6 to receive the hooked portion 5 of the knuckle and permit the same to move back and forth therein as the knuckle exe-- cutes its sliding movements outwardly and inwardly to increase or diminish the clearance or space between the forward end of the knuckle and the coupler head while these parts are in coupled relation. The under side of the iail ofthe knuckle is preferably provided .with; a downwardly extending lange" 7 of a length permitting it to constantlycooperate with an upwardly extending lug 8 on thefo'rward part of the yielding slide 9,thecontrol of the" spring devices over the knuckle being thereby always assured. As shown in dotted lines in Figs. 1 and 2,the forward face of the lug 7 is preferably flattened and the adjacent inner face of the lug 8 upon theslide is curved, so that these parts may rock easily on each other as the outer end of the knuckle rotates inwardly or outwardly during the sliding movements executed by the knuckle while in coupled relation. The pivot lugs 10 of the coupler head are preferably made large enough to cover the slot 3 on the knuckle'in all positions of the latter.

The lock -l1' for maintaining the knuckle I in coupled relation is preferably mounted on the slide 9 so as to partake ofthe movements of the latter and is preferably vertically slidable so as to gravitate to. locked position. Its forward face 12 next to the knuckle l may be beveled or inclined so as to provide a firm and extended bearing face for the knuckle when the same is drawn forward and rotated while in coupled relation, as shown in Fig. 2.- The bottom of the lock is recessed at 13 to permit the knuckle to swing in and out when the lock is raised sufficiently, and to form a shoulder 14: that is' adapted to be acted upon by the upper side of the hooked portion of the knuckle 1. The

shoulder 1d, as shown, is preferably sloping or inclined so as to be engaged by'the tail of the'knuckle and thereby cause the lock 11 to be raised when the knuckle swings open, thus releasing the lock from its lockset supporting device. a

- The lock 11 may be raised either from the top or from the bottom of the coupler. When the lock is lifted from the top of the coupler,'the lifting member 15, which slides lifting member 15, a link 17 may be used.

This'link, which is preferably housed within the lock 11 and lifting member 15, is formed with a hook 18 at its lower end and with an eye 19' at its upper end. The opening in the lock and that in the lifting member into which the link 17 extends are made sufficiently large to enable the lock 11 to move with the slide 9 without affecting the member 15. e The lock 11 is engaged by the hook 18, while a pin 20, which passes through the eye 19, connects the link 17 to the lifting member'15."

The lifting member 15 is preferably, so

constructed that it cooperates with a-lever 21 not only to rotate the knuckle 1 outwardly, but alsoto hold the lock 11 in an elevated or lock-set position while the knuckle occupies its coupled position, To effect these purposes the lower end of the lifting member 15 I is preferably provided with a projection 22 and with a recess 23 above said projection. As seen from Fig.7, when the projection 22 comes into engagement with the short arm of the lever 21,.

which is pivoted on the head 2 by means of a pin 24, the longer arm of said lever presses against the knuckle tail and forces the knuckle 1 to turn outwardly around its pivot pin at. As seen in Fig. 6 the end of the short arm of the lever 21 is adaptedto enter the recess 23 and maintain the lock in an elevated position, the'eye or slot 25 in the lever through which the pivot pin 24 passes being elongated so that the said lever can gravitate into the lock sustaining position described. The lower. end of the lever 21 preferably bears against a shoulder 26 on the upper face of the knuckle tail; this permits the knuckle to execute its sliding movements in a longitudinal direction without any possibility of injuring the knucklethrowing lever. V I

The side of the slide 9 nearer the guard arm of the coupler is provided with one or more inclined faces 27 and 28, andthe interior of the head is likewiseprovided with cooperating inclined surfaces 29" and 30. The opposite edge 31 of the slide is also preferably inclined so as to be parallel with the inclined faces 27 and 29, said edge 31 being, adapted to slide upon a similarly in clined rib or shoulder 32 on the inside of the coupler head. It results from this construction that the slide 9 and lock 11 mounted thereon 'move laterally when the lmuckle 1 slides outwardly while in coupled relation, thus causing the outer end of the knuckle to swing: or rotate inwardly toward the coupler head and thereby prevent the escape spring and through an opening 35 inthe slide. The head of the bolt 34: bears against the front of the slide 9 andthe hole 35 is made large enough to prevent binding on the bolt when theslide moves. The forward end of the spring 33 bears againsta plate or follower 36 which itself bears against shoulders or stops 37 and 38 on the interior of the coupler. The rear end of the spring bears against a follower 39 which is maintained on'thebolt 34: by means preferably curved and the adjacent portion of the face 44 of the lock is similarly curved so as to maintain a substantial bearing be tween the knuckle and the lock in all cou pled positions of the knuckle. The face 44;-

of the lock al stands' at an angle to the longitudinal axis of the coupler and therefore as the 'knuckle 42 moves outwardly it" is caused to turn slightly on the pivot pin 45, the outer end of the knuckle moving inwardly so as to insure themaintenance of its coupling engagement with the knuckle of the oppositecouplen The means heretofore described for yieldingly resistingthe movements of the knuckle and for opening thesame are equally, applicable-to this form of my invention and are preferably "employed. 2

h at I claim is: I

l. The combination with a coupler having a pivoted knuckle which is adapted to move longitudinally with respect to the head thereof while the parts are incoupled relation, a lock for said knuckle, and spring means operatively connected to said knuckle for retracting the same, said means being arranged within the contour of the coupler and lying wholly within a line which e'X- tends parallel to the longitudinal axis of the coupler and which passes through the pivotal axis on which the knuckle turns when rotating outwardly.

2. In a car coupler, the combination with a coupler head, of a knuckle yieldingly mounted thereon, said head and knuckle having a pin and slot connection permitting the knuckle to move relatively to the coupler head in the line of draft while the knuckle is locked, a lock'for maintaining the knuckle in coupled relation with respect to said head, and a spring device operatively connected to the tailof said knuckle and pulling thereon in all positions of the latter whether the knuckle isopen or closed.

3. In a car coupler, the combination with a coupler head, of a knuckle movably mounted thereon so as to permit its outer end toapproa'ch and recede from the cou-c pler head while the parts arein coupled ie- I lation, and means for causing the outer end of said knuckle to rotate inwardly when it is drawn outwardly.

4;. In a car coupler, the combination with a coupler head, of a knucklemovably mounted thereon so as to permit its outer end to approach and recede from the coupler head while the parts are in coupled relation, and means for maintaining the knuckle in coupled relation with said head, said means being operative to cause; a turning movement of said knucklewhile the latteris in coupled relation withqsaid head.

5. In a car coupler, the combination with a coupler head, of a knuckle movably -mounted thereon so as to permit its outer end to approach and recede from the coupler head while the parts are in coupled relation, means for yieldingly connecting said head and knuckle, and means for causing an inward turning movement of the outer end of said knuckle while the latter is in coupled relation with said head. i

"6. In a car coupler, the combination with a coupler head, of a knuckle which is mounted on said head so as to be capable of movement with respect thereto while the parts are incoupled relation, and a lock for maintaining said knuckle in coupled relation, said lock being movable with said knuckle. p

7 In a car coupler, the combination with a coupler head, of a knuckle which is mounted on said head so as to be capable of movement with respect thereto while the parts are in coupled relation, and a lock for maintaining said knuckle in coupled relatlon, said lock being mounted on said head so as tobe movable forwardly and laterally with respect thereto while maintainlng said knuckle and head in coupled relation.

8. In a car coupler, the combination with a coupler having a head and rearwardly extending chambered stem, of a knuckle movably mounted thereon so as to permit its outer end to approach and recede from the coupler head while the parts are in coupled relation, a lock for said knuckle, and spring means arranged within the stem for retracting said knuckle when the latter is not subjected to draft force, said means being operatively connected to the tail of said knuckle in all positions of the latter whether the knuckle is open or closed.

9. In a car coupler, the combination with a coupler head, of a knuckle yieldingly a coupler head, of a knuckle 'having'a pin and slot connection therewith, a spring, means vfor operatively connecting said spring and knuckle, a lock for said knuckle mounted upon said connecting means, and

means for moving the tail of said knuckle toward'the knuckle side of said head when the coupler is subjected to draft forces.

11. In a car'coupler, the combination with a coupler head, of a knuckle movably,

mounted thereon so as to permit its outer end toapproach and recede from the coupler head while the parts are in coupled relatlon,

Y a spring, devices for operatively connecting saidspringand knuckle, and a lock'for maintaining said knuckle in coupled rela t1on,rsa1d head and said devices for oper-' atively connecting said spring and knuckle being relatively movable and being formed with engaging inclined faces. 1 I

12. In a car coupler, the combination with a coupler head, of a knuckle movably Inount- 7 ed thereon, and'a lock for maintaining said has knuckle in coupled relation with respect to said head, said lock being movable toward the knuckle side of said head while engaging the knuckleto restrain it'from moving outwardly to open position when subjected to a pulling force.

- 13. "In a car.coupler,:the combination with a coupler head, of a knuckle movably mount- Ved thereon so as to permit its outer end to approach and recede from the said head wvhile the parts are in coupled relation, a lock mo vable -coextensively with said -knuckle for .i'etaining. the latter'in coupled relation is rin 'means for movin the said 7 Gbpies' of this patent may be obtained'ifor knuckle and lock to retracted position, meansmounted onxsaid coupler and engaging the'rear side ofthe tailof the knuckle for moving the knuckle to open position I when releasedffrom said lock, and means connected to said lock for actuating said knuckle opening means, said-knuckle opening means being mounted in said coupler head in a position to be engaged by said 7 actuating'means and to engage the rear side of the knuckle tail when said'knuckle and lock are in retracted position.

.14. In a car coupler, the'combinationwitha coupler head, of a knuckle movably-mounts sively' with the knuckle when thelatter moveswhile in locked position. v

15. In a car coupler, the combination with a coupler head, of a knuckle movably mounted thereon so that its outer end may approach and recede from said head when the parts are in coupled relation, and a lock'for maintaining said knuckle incoupledrelation, said lockbeing adapted to engage the tail of said knuckle to effect an inward rotation, of the outerendof said knuckle when I the-knuckle is drawn outwardly; v 16. Ina car coupler, the combination with a coupler head, of a knuckle movably* mounted thereon, and means whereby the outer'end of said knuckle is caused to swing inwardly whensaid knuckle is" subjected to a pulling force. 1 I r V In testimony whereof I affix: my signature in the presenceof two subscribing witnesses.

SAMUEL n LoHs."

Witnesses: 7

v RoY A. NELSON, O. HOLMES. v

five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G." 

